Host: How to assign a challenge

A challenge is a “learner-paced” game, meaning that participants or learners move question-to-question at their own pace. Questions and answer alternatives are displayed on each learner’s device. The host does not actively host challenges in real-time. They simply set a deadline and share the game PIN or game link with learners. Learners must submit a response to every question before the deadline.

Accessibility tip for blind or visually-impaired learners: Since all text displays on the learner’s device when they play a challenge, they should be able to use a screen reader on their device to join and answer questions.

Tech requirements

An internet connection - be sure to test your venue’s internet at least a few days before any major event. Challenges are less reliant on the internet than live games. But firewalls may block important URLs, preventing access to assigning or playing challenges. Some schools offer different tiers of internet access to students that they do teachers. Please check with your school’s IT admin so that all tiers can be tested.

How to start a challenge

To start a challenge, you need to generate a PIN or link that you can then share with intended players. This process differs depending on if you’re using a web browser or our mobile app.

On the web

To start a challenge in a web browser, sign in at kahoot.com, locate a kahoot and click the “Play” button. This will prompt you to choose between "Teach" or "Assign". Choose "Assign".

After you click the “Assign” button, you can set an expiration date and time as well as set game options.

Date and time: Date can be set up to 28 days into the future. Time is set to a specific hour (not minute or second).

Game options: These modify gameplay before, during, and after your challenge.

Question timer can be toggled off to give players unlimited time to respond. Quiz-type questions award points with no time deduction.

Personalized learning uses proven learning methods such as spacing and testing to help learners retain information and master content. After a live game, our Android or iOS mobile app will encourage players to repeat questions they got wrong. Learn more about it here.

Randomize answer order randomizes how answers are arranged on the screen.

Friendly nickname generator will choose nicknames for players. Players click or tap a "Spin!" button to generate a nickname. They can spin up to three times.

Click the “Create” button when you’re ready to get a shareable challenge PIN or link.

Want to start multiple challenges with one kahoot? You can start more than one challenge with a single kahoot. No need to wait for one to end before starting another.

In our mobile app

To start a challenge in our iOS/Android mobile app, sign in to the app, tap on a kahoot and tap the “Play” button. Then tap “Challenge”.

After you tap the “Challenge” button, you’ll need to set an expiration date and time for the challenge as set game options.

Date and time: Tap the pencil next to the default end time to edit it. “End date” can be set up to 31 days into the future. “Time of day” is set to a specific hour (not minute or second).

Game options: These modify gameplay before, during, and after your challenge.

Player identifier is a new feature that allows tracking player performance across multiple games. Once you or your team have hosted multiple games with player identifier on, you’ll be able to combine reports into one. Learn more about it here.

Personalized learning uses proven learning methods such as spacing and testing to help learners retain information and master content. After a live game, our Android or iOS mobile app will encourage players to repeat questions they got wrong. Learn more about it here.

Randomize answer order randomizes how answers are arranged on the screen.

Hide player position can be toggled on to prevent players from accessing a full leaderboard. They can only see the top 5 scorers.

Question timer can be toggled off to give players unlimited time to respond. Quiz-type questions award points with no time deduction.

Click the “Create” button when you’re ready to start your challenge.

Want to start multiple challenges with one kahoot? You can start more than one challenge with a single kahoot. No need to wait for one to end before starting another.

How to share a challenge

Regardless if you started a challenge on the web or in our mobile app, you can copy a PIN or link and share them wherever you’d like. As long as your intended players are able to find either of them, they’ll be able to join your challenge.

How to check on a challenge

Curious how many have joined your challenge, or how well they’re performing? Need to locate the PIN or link again? You can check these anytime from your Reports page using a web browser or our mobile app.

On the web

To check on a challenge in a web browser, sign in at kahoot.com, then click “Reports” at the top of the screen. Access the challenges report to view in-progress performance analysis.

In our mobile app

To check on a challenge in our mobile app, sign in to the app, tap on “Reports” at the bottom of your screen, then tap on the in-progress challenge you want to check. You’ll be taken to a report that includes general stats that you can top for more detail, as well as a leaderboard.

Need to find the PIN or link for the challenge? Tap the "options" button [ ⋮ ] in the top right of the report and choose “View Kahoot”. Then swipe from the details tab to your in-progress challenge and tap “Share PIN”.

How can we improve this article or the features described?

Can students join challenges from a web browser yet? That isn't addressed in this article. The SOLE reason I've never assigned a challenge is because students need the app, which means they can't access it from our school's chromebooks.

I tried for hours but I think I figured it out. Are you logging into an account that has premium access? It’s normal something you pay for but they are offering it free right now. If you are not signed up for premium access the challenge button is hidden. Once you sign up it appears

There's a bug! I have created a challenge and some of my students cannot access the challenge from the website. It tells them they need the app. I tried it on my computer. It told me the same thing both in the Edge browser and Chrome browser. I had the "learn from mistakes" whatever it is called option clicked...Thinking that might be it because it was the first time I used that option, I created a new Kahoot and it worked for me but some students it still didn't work.

I tried a challenge with my class of 25 students this morning and it was a complete disaster. Many of them were ejected of the game after 3 questions and couldn't access the test again. Some of them had a black screen with no questions at all. Yet, they are all computer science students and are well equipped with laptops or PC. So in theory Kahoot Challenge looks great but when you really try it with your class it doesn't work. This was the only way for me to test them remotely, but I think I'll go back to the good old word document and a time limit! I love Kahoot and I've been using it for many years and will continue to do so, but it works better in the classroom.

The challenge tool is really helpful. However, I have found out that after setting a challenge, the modifications in that kahoot are not updated in the kahoot that students practice whend doing the challenge. So in the end I have to to a duplicate, modify, set a new challenge and delete the original. Is there an easier way to do this?

This helped immensely!! I just did not know to click on the PLAY button to get to the Challenge option! This was critical information that is not intuitive. Thank you for this great article. I wasted a LOT of time trying to figure it out before reading this! :-)

Am I right in that the only way for a student to see the questions AND be able to select the answers on the same screen = through Challenge?

Am I right that if we use Kahoot live, the Ss have to read the teacher's "meet | hangout" screen that is being presented to them on their Chromebooks and then, really really fast, tab over to the Kahoot.it screen to enter the answer?

Kahoot = terrific for the classroom. Just trying to make distance learning with it as streamlined as possible.

Hai already test the challenge, today. The pros are it a very good tools BUT..., I found few problems 1) students Score are not the same as report that i can view. 2) there should have player limit to only play once not repeatable.

As far as I know, you will have to modify your name a bit if you already used your name for a first time in the challange. So, for example, after using "John" next time if you red it again use "John 2" and so on.